Over the past couple of months, a number of my organizing clients have gotten married. For two, it was a new marriage; for the other three it was a renewal of vows taken years earlier. It was an public affirmation of a promise, a commitment, made many years prior. That got me thinking.

When it comes to organizing, renewing your vows (to yourself and to other members of your household) is important.  Organizing is not something that happens once, at a single point in time.  You don’t straighten up the papers on your desk, create files and containerize supplies and Voila! that’s it…forever.  New items and papers come into the home on a continuous basis and you need to create and maintain a system, a plan, for staying on top of it.  You need to renew your vows.

The easiest thing to do is to set a recurring appointment on your calendar, so you can stay on top of things.  For example, schedule 15 minutes every Sunday and Thursday morning. Sit down with a cup of coffee and file the papers that have come in. When you only have a small, manageable quantity, fifteen minutes is all it should take.  It’s when you ignore that commitment that the pile starts to grow.  When it’s a large stack, or several piles, that’s when it starts to feel out of control, overwhelming, and the last thing you want to deal with.

Renew your vow to stay organized each week, and you’ll have a long, happy relationship with your stuff!